WATCH: Jackie Evancho was the first to sing at Friday’s inauguration and had the president as her backup singer
Jackie Evancho's airy, symphonic performance of the The Star-Spangled Banner showed no signs of the controversy behind her accepting the request to sing at President Donald Trump's inauguration Friday.
The “America’s Got Talent” star was the first to perform at Trump’s inaugural address Friday afternoon.
For a brief moment during her performance, Trump forms a smile and begins to mouth the lyrics to the song as Evancho sings.
Prior to the inauguration, Evancho, Lee Greenwood and others that performed Friday faced criticism for electing to perform as a part of Inauguration Day.
Evancho was also in the news this week due to one of her family members, her sister Juliet, not attending the inauguration. According to TMZ, Juliet Evancho would not be in attendance, because she was scheduled to undergo gender reassignment surgery in Philadelphia.
“I really wish that my whole family was here,” Jackie told TMZ this week. “Unfortunately, they’re not. My sister is having a big medical procedure right now, but if she wasn’t, she would’ve been here.”
While prepping for Friday’s performance, Evancho shared some behind-the-scenes moments with her fans on Facebook.
Evancho also performed at the Candlelight Ball the Thursday night as a part of the inaugural events.
About the Author
Stephanie has been telling stories her whole life. Her interest in the written word started with short stories and journal entries about run-ins with classroom bullies as a child and matured to writing for her high school newspaper over the years. She has written and edited for The Tennessean, Augusta Chronicle and American City & County.
